Agencies | Kupwara:
The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested a Senior Assistant posted at the Sub-Division Agriculture Office, Handwara, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 in exchange for releasing a pending subsidy bill.
The accused, identified as Irshad Ahmad Peer, was arrested following a trap operation conducted by the ACB’s Baramulla police station, officials said.
According to the ACB, a written complaint was received alleging that the accused had demanded Rs 40,000 from the complainant for clearing a subsidy bill relating to a tractor purchased by the complainant’s brother under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
Officials said a discreet verification was conducted, during which the allegations of bribery were found to be substantiated.
Following the verification, the ACB registered FIR No. 06/2026 on October 12, 2026, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, and initiated an investigation.
After registering the case, the bureau constituted a trap team in the presence of independent witnesses in accordance with the prescribed procedure.
During the operation, the accused was allegedly caught red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 40,000. The bribe money was recovered from his possession, with the transaction corroborated by other evidence, officials said.
The accused has been taken into custody, and further investigation into the case is underway, the ACB added.
